Note: The Ontario government announced today a $12 million Ontario Vineyard Improvement Program. Here is the press release as it was send from the Grape Growers of Ontario

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 (Niagara on the Lake): Today, the Honourable Carol Mitchell, Minister of Ontario Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, announced the 12 million dollar Ontario Vineyard Improvement Program for wine grape growers in Ontario.

This program provides four years of funding support for vine removal, vineyard preparation, vine trellis systems, bird netting, frost prevention, improved irrigation and other viticulture improvements.

This investment is the next step in strengthening Ontario’s grape and wine industry by focusing support on VQA wine, improving clarity for consumers and supporting the long-term viability of the industry.

“Our growers welcome the Government of Ontario’s investment in our industry”, said Bill George, Chair of the Grape Growers of Ontario. “Collectively Ontario has over 15,000 acres of wine grapes, and each acre contributes $30,945 to the Ontario economy. Investing in and providing funding support to our growers just makes good business sense.”

“As growers, we are doing our part ‘growing the wines you love’ in Ontario, and today’s announcement provides the necessary vineyard investment support that will have a direct impact on growers remaining competitive both at home and internationally, “commented, Debbie Zimmerman, CEO of the Grape Growers of Ontario.

The Grape Growers of Ontario represents over 500 active growers on 15,000 acres in four viticulture areas (Niagara, Pelee Island, Lake Erie North Shore, and Prince Edward County). We are the advocate of all processing grape growers in the province working to ensure the market for Ontario grapes and wines expands domestically and internationally.

Not a lot of wine couples have their feet as firmly planted in as many places as Ann Sperling and Peter Gamble.

There’s Niagara, of course, with Sperling crafting the wines at Southbrook Vineyard, and Gamble as the winery consultant at Ravine Vineyard (he was also part of the startup team at Stratus and consults with the excellent sparkling producer Benjamin Bridge in Nova Scotia and, along with Sperling, has a small seven-acre Malbec vineyard near Mendoza in Argentina). Continue reading

NOTE: Pillitteri Estates Winery announced via this press release that they were awarded top Canadian wine at Vinexpo for a Chardonnay Icewine.

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario – Pillitteri Estates Winery has received one of the highest honours in Bordeaux France, where they were awarded the Canada Medal at Citadelles du Vin for the best Canadian wine in competition at the most prestigious Wine and Spirits Exhibition in the world, Vinexpo.

Pillitteri received these accolades for their 2007 Chardonnay Icewine. This is a tremendous accomplishment and honour for the winery which prides itself as the world’s largest estate producer of Icewine.

Pillitteri is committed to quality, authentic Icewine and is for that reason is proud to announce a new partnership with Prooftag, a product authentication and tracking system. Canadian Icewine is a prestigious and sought after product with a growing global demand of authentic Icewine. Consequently, this rapid growth in demand has resulted in large amounts of counterfeit Canadian Icewine entering the international market. Icewine is now one of the most counterfeited wines in the world.

Prooftag’s main system is a bubble tag which cannot be duplicated and creates an attached pilfer proof covering on Icewine. This bubble tag has a unique number which can be accessed from the web and on any smart phone to confirm authenticity by visually inspecting the bubbles on the tag and the related file online. Once removed the unique and un-duplicatable design is destroyed. Prooftag’s bubble tag system is currently being used on some of the most well known and expensive wine brands in Bordeaux and the Napa Valley “We are proud of the collaboration established with Pillitteri Estates Winery in Canada to secure their Icewine. As a market leader, Pillitteri Estates Winery is the first Canadian winery to use the Bubble Tag technology to ensure a high level of security to their consumers around the world”, commends Franck Bourrières, Sales and Marketing Director at Prooftag.

Pillitteri’s winning Chardonnay Icewine will be the first product to carry this new seal and the first of such seals was applied at a ceremony at Vinexpo in Bordeaux, France to commemorate the prestigious win and new partnership. Bubble seals will be used on all Pillitteri Icewines exported out of Canada to ensure the quality of their wine and the integrity of their brand. “We are always concerned over counterfeit Icewines entering our markets; the bubble seal will allow us to maintain our brand and family’s integrity around the world. When our Icewines win prestigious awards it creates excitement in the community and demand for our products. We are thrilled with this recognition. We now we have a system in place to ensure all our customers are receiving pure Canadian Icewine” Says Pillitteri C.E.O. and President of Sales, Charles Pillitteri.

The Citadelles du Vin is an international wine and spirits competition based in Bordeaux France and endorsed by the O.I.V. The competition is connected with the world’s premier wine and spirits exhibition, Vinexpo. Created in 1992, the purpose of this prestigious competition is to discover and highlight some of the best wines on the planet by awarding them trophies. With 70% of its entries from abroad, the international dimension of the event is omnipresent. In total, some 30 nations take part in the competition where over 300 appellations are represented.